Duck ragù

5.00

This duck ragù from Ben Waugh at Bancone is an easy and elegant way to serve duck legs. The duck meat is slowly braised in a buttery ragù, while the duck skin is baked until crisp and mixed with panko to form a deeply savoury crunchy topping for the silky pasta.

First published in 2023

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Pasta dough

  • 500g of 00 flour
  • 200g of egg
  • 8g of salt
  • 25g of water
  • 15g of olive oil

Duck ragù

Duck crackling crumb

  • 50g of butter
  • 100g of Panko breadcrumbs

For garnish

Equipment

  • Stand mixer with dough hook
  • Pasta machine
  • Fluted, square 10cm ravioli cutter

Method

1

To make the pasta dough, put all the ingredients in a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment. Knead the dough for 10 minutes, then remove from the bowl and knead on the workbench into a bowl

  • 500g of 00 flour
  • 200g of egg
  • 8g of salt
  • 25g of water
  • 15g of olive oil
2

Wrap the dough in cling film and put it in the fridge for 2 hours to rest

3

Preheat the oven to 190°C/gas mark 5

4

Place duck legs in a tray and season evenly with salt. Transfer to the oven and roast for 35 minutes

5

Once cooked, remove from the oven and set aside

6

Blitz the onion, carrot, celery, garlic and chilli until finely chopped but not a purée

7

Put a large ovenproof pan on the heat and add the vegetable oil. Once hot, add the vegetables and cook for 5-10 minutes, or until softened but not coloured

  • 10g of vegetable oil
8

Add the tomato paste and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add the red wine and five spice, and cook until the wine reduces by half

9

Add the butter, tinned tomatoes and chicken stock. Tie the thyme and bay leaf together with string and add them to the sauce

10

Remove the skin from the roasted duck legs and keep it separate. Add the duck legs to the sauce and cook them for 2 hours, or until the duck is tender and falling off the bone

11

Once the ragù is finished, remove the duck legs from the sauce and place them on a tray. Discard the bay leaf and thyme

12

Turn the oven down to 110°C/gas mark 1/2

13

Check the consistency of the sauce - if it needs reducing, place the pan back on the heat until it has thickened. Flake the dug legs off the bone, making sure that no fat or small bones are mixed in with the meat

14

Add the duck back into the thickened sauce and mix well

15

Put the reserved duck skin on a tray and bake for 40 minutes

16

Once the skin has baked, make the duck crackling, melt the butter in a pan and add the panko. Toast evenly, stirring frequently, until lightly golden

  • 50g of butter
  • 100g of Panko breadcrumbs
17

Blitz the baked duck skin into crumbs in a blender, then add it to the toasted panko and mix well

18

Once the breadcrumb mixture is golden brown, transfer it to a large tray to cool down

19

Once cool, transfer to a container lined with a J cloth

20

Roll the pasta out in a pasta machine, starting from the thickest setting. Gradually work down the thicknesses until you reach either number 1 on the machine or until the pasta reaches 2mm in thickness

21

Cut the rolled out pasta with a fluted, square 10cm ravioli cutter

22

When ready to serve, warm the duck ragù in a pan

23

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the fazzoletti (handkerchiefs) and cook for 1 minute 30 seconds, then remove with a slotted spoon

24

Add the pasta to the sauce and fold it though, then mix in the parsley

25

Divide the pasta between 4 plates, and garnish with the duck crackling crumb

First published in 2023

Having worked as part of the Gordon Ramsay Group for over ten years, in 2021 Ben Waugh decided to leave behind the world of fine dining to oversee the food at Bib Gourmand-winning pasta restaurant group, Bancone. As group executive chef, he’s now instrumental in ensuring that the menu remains consistently excellent as the business expands.

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